IT'S A BOY!

Baby #5 is due August 10, 2012!  We're more than half way!

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"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." 

-- Psalm 139:13-16 --

Signs of Spring...

Jasen has been a huge help, not only with our house renovations, but with the garden.  Here he is tilling our "mess"... We are so thankful for his help and God's provision.  He accomplished in about an hour (or less) what would've taken us at least a full day to do by renting a tiller, and it wouldn't have been as well done.

Ashley - and Burgess - babysitting the chicks outside...

Hannah taking a turn watching the chickens which are about four weeks old.

The chicks are getting big -- about 4 weeks old.

Hannah and Connor's last CC Essentials class (writing, grammar, and math games)...Presentation Day for their Revolutionary War Heroes.  Hannah researched Lydia Darragh, a spy for General Washington, while Connor studied Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" of the Revolution.

Jasen came back yesterday with a friend's tractor to put down drip tape and plastic.

More experiements -- using frost cover to protect cabbage and broccoli from bugs. 
We also just planted our potatoes (2 rows at 50 ft each/17 lbs), onions, and some lettuces.

Using a "rabbit fence" to keep the chics corralled temporarily.  Some do escape though -- fortunately, they don't go far.  We want them to be pastured, both to spread their manure where WE want it (and less mess in the coop), to consume bugs, exercise/keep them busy, and to reduce the organic feed costs.  Scott is working hard on getting the permanent coop ready.  Meanwhile, we're looking at two designs for portable coops so they can be pastured -- ie, safely moved around the property and hopefully protected from predators.

Forsythias in full bloom...

The extent of our fruit orchard -- 2 pear trees!  We also recently bought some grapes, kiwis, and elderberries which we still need to plant.  Hoping to get some more fruit trees and blueberry plants in the fall...

Progress on the chicken coop...

Dogwoods along the driveway starting to bloom...

Crabapple

First cutting of the year...We're close to making a decision on a larger machine...

Elderberries, grapes, kiwis...

Seven flats of seedlings in our school room -- mostly heirloom tomatoes...

Not sure if we're going to get to the pool renovations this summer or not!  We're still overwhelmed by all the other projects that need to get done first!  Lots of pretty colors -- yellow, purple, white...We stand in awe of God's creativity and creation...

Museum of the Confederacy and the Richmond Federal Reserve...Field Trip...

Girls lacrosse...first games...

Bald eagle

Hannah looks ready to score (#46)

Ashley getting ready to score

Go Hannah

It was a chilly first game -- Yorktown...

More bonfires, chicken coop construction, basketball.....

The boys working on the chicken coop -- thankful that we saved some old windows from our renovation of the house...We think the chickens will enjoy them!

Dino can be destructive -- he has started chewing on other fence posts and rails....

Head coach Daddy -- Upward Basketball Celebration Night -- The end of Connor's first basketball season...

These girls are getting BIG quickly!  We need to get that coop done!